Using Gender to Get Into Our Bodies

Then: I used medical strategies to manipulate my body to get into my masculinity.

Now: I used my masculinity, and the medical strategies associated with achieving the kind of masculinity I want, to get into my body.

The former creates the drama of the no-penised man. The latter offers compassion and an ever-increasing push to breathe in the present moment.

Subtle, yes. But reversing the focus creates healthier bodies, I think, which, in turn, creates healthier genders. So maybe a new purpose for gender is to help us become more present to our own bodies.